It's Never Too Late
by Jessika Organa Solo
Summary: Harry finally came to his senses, and Ginny is going to make him pay. HP/GW, RW/HG. *COMPLETE*
1. Harry's Lament

Greetings all! It's "Dead Week" (the week before finals) at my university, so I decided that I would begin a fic! ;) Hope you enjoy!

**Title: It's Never Too Late**

Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione

(Quoted song by Dru Hill.)

**Chapter One: Harry's Lament**

            "Wait, wait… I think I found the perfect one!" Ron whispered excitedly to his best friend Harry and sister Ginny. "About damn time!" Harry said, exasperated. Ron had been holding them hostage in the library for several hours since morning Quidditch practice had been cancelled. Ginny was twisting her red hair around her finger as Ron began to read from a book containing lyrics from muggle songs.

_Sorry, didn't notice you there,_

_But then again you didn't notice me._

_So we'll remain passers by_

_Until the next time we speak._

_I hope that I can make you mine   
'For another man steals your heart,_

_And once your beauty is mine_

_I swear we will never be apart._

_  
Walks by me every day_

_Her and love are the same_

_The woman that's stolen my heart_

_And beauty is her name._

_I'm hoping I can make you mine_

_'For another man steals your heart_

_And once your beauty is mine_

_I swear we will never be apart._

            As his words ceased, Ginny's annoyed frown melted into a smile. "Oh, Ron! She is going to love it!" she sighed dreamily. Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, noticing the shine of tears threatening to spill over. Oh, how he longed to touch her face and breathe in the smell of her. Of course, she didn't know this and neither did her Ravenclaw boyfriend, Mike Rose. "I'm sure Hermione will just love it, Ron," Harry said, trying to reassure Ron despite his foul mood.

            Valentine's Day was quickly approaching and Ron, finally realizing that this was his final year at Hogwarts and final year around Hermione unless he did something, actually went and did something! "You don't think she'll tell me no, do you?" Ron asked in a panicked voice, his eyes wide in fear. "No, Ron. Trust me," Ginny said as they all stood up. Harry gave Ron a pat on the back and Ginny waved goodbye as Ron left to complete the plans that he had devised. Harry, for some reason, felt awkward around Ginny and was having trouble concentrating on her words and not her eyes or lips. "I hope she agrees to meet him," she mused, adjusting her robes and tie, "or poor Ron will be devastated!"

            "So what are you up to tonight, Harry?" Ginny asked, her shoulder brushing his as they squeezed through the portrait hole together. "Uhh…" he said, pausing for a second. In reality, he had planned on doing absolutely nothing, but he couldn't tell her that! "I'm, um, going to the library to work on a Potions essay," he said, improvising. It wasn't a _lie… but his Potions essay wasn't due until the following Thursday. "Oh really?! I have to work on an essay too! Can I join you?" she said, stopping to look over at him. How could he possibly say no? "Um, sure…" he said, his throat feeling tight. "Great," she said, smiling, "I'll meet you after dinner in the common room, and we can walk to the library together!" Harry nodded and smiled weakly. She waved goodbye and then ran up the stairs to the 6th year girls' dormitory. _

            Sighing heavily, Harry collapsed into the nearest chair in the common room. Glancing out the window, he saw snow and sleet falling out of the grey sky. "That's how I feel right about now," he thought, sighing again. He didn't understand what was going on with himself these days; he was feeling lonely and he suddenly found himself watching Ginny Weasley fly around at Quiddich practice, walk in the halls between classes, and eat her meals. It had been almost a year and a half since he had dated someone, and he felt like he was ready to begin dating again. "The trouble is," he thought, "there is only one person I can see myself with." And that person happened to be Ginny Weasley.

            Hours turned into minutes, and minutes turned into seconds, and before he knew it, Harry had finished with his classes and was down in the Great Hall finishing up his dinner… right next to Ginny. "She agreed to meet him," she whispered, leaning into Harry. Breathing in her fresh scent, Harry leaned toward her also. After a few seconds, he looked at her blankly and said, "Huh?" She looked at him in amusement and then said, "You know… Hermione and Ron… your best friends?" Turning beet red, Harry said, "OH… er… good." His hand shook, and he dropped his fork, which clattered loudly onto his plate. "Are you alright?" Ginny asked, the smile gone from her face. "I – I'm fine," he said, and the matter was settled.

            Harry stiffly walked beside Ginny to the library as she talked. There was an awkward silence and Harry decided to break it by asking, "So why aren't you hanging out with _Mikey tonight?" Ginny frowned and said, "We're not attached at the hip, you know." The conversation should have ended right there, but before he could stop himself, Harry blurted out, "Could have fooled me." Boy, was that a mistake. Her face turning red instantly, Ginny replied in a fierce, yet low tone of voice, "For your information, Harry James Potter, I decided not to hang out with Mike tonight so __you wouldn't be lonely!" She put her hands on her hips, daring him to respond. "Me?" he asked skeptically, crossing his arms and frowning. Speaking more intensely, Ginny said, "You know, I consider you a friend. And when stuff started about this Ron and Hermione thing, I began to think that you might start to feel left out and a little lonely. So, I decided to try to hang out with you more." Her crossness faded away as she turned and calmly said, "Good night, Potter," and headed back toward the Gryffindor common room. _

            He couldn't very well follow her back to the common room, and he sure didn't want to start his Potions essay in the library, so Harry decided to walk down to Hagrid's hut for a chat.

            Knocking on Hagrid's door while shivering, Harry glanced around at the snow covering everything. Life always seemed more complicated in the winter time. The door swung open with a great creak, revealing Hagrid and Fang. "Good ter see ya, Harry! Bin waitin' on ya!" Hagrid said, pulling the seventeen year old inside with a grin. "Ya want some tea?" Hagrid asked cheerfully, walking over to his stove. "Sure," Harry answered gloomily with a sigh. Turning around to face him, Hagrid asked, "Summat trublin' ya, Harry?" Harry didn't say anything as Hagrid poured the steaming hot tea into the tea cup that sat in front of Harry. Looking at Harry closely, Hagrid said, "This thing with Ron and Hermione got ya all in a tizzy, has it?" Harry shook his head no, but then paused, thinking. "Well," he said, "it is bothering me, but not because I am jealous." Hagrid chuckled, sitting down to drink his tea. "Bet I know who you bin thinkin' about!" he said, grinning. Harry couldn't help but smile a little. "Who?" Harry asked, figuring Hagrid would say Cho Chang, Harry's ex-girlfriend. But to Harry's surprise, Hagrid smiled, proud of himself, and said, "Ginny Weasley!" Hagrid watched, amused as the smile faded from Harry's face. "What makes you think that?" Harry said, finding the chipped, white teacup very interesting. Letting out a booming laugh that caused Fang to lift his head from his spot on the floor, Hagrid said, "I bin 'round a bit longer than you, Harry! Besides, I like to watch you all practicin' Quidditch in the mornin', an' I seen the way ya bin lookin' at 'er!"

            Harry slowly walked back from Hagrid's hut, just in time to see Ron and Hermione enter the castle. Both were smiling and looked very happy. Harry smiled a small smile, but felt a pang inside his stomach. He had been lonely before, but that was only a need for affiliation, friendship; however, he had never experienced this type of loneliness. Seeing Ron and Hermione together and happy made things worse. After climbing the steps to the castle entrance, he opened the doors to see Mike Rose and Ginny climbing the stairs with Ron and Hermione. It felt like a slap in the face. Sighing, he climbed the stairs too, wishing he had his dad's old invisibility cloak. 

Please review! ;) To be continued, of course!


	2. Oops

Greetings all! Its Finals week now and my first four finals are over, so I finally had a chance to update the fic. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing; I really appreciate it!

**Title: It's Never Too Late**

Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione

**Chapter Two: Oops**

            Flipping her long, red hair over her shoulder, Ginny sighed in frustration and climbed into the portrait hole to the Gryffindor Common Room. Her arms were full of books that she was using to finish the essay that she had planed on writing the previous night, but so got side tracked. Well, mad. She got pretty mad at a certain black haired, green eyed seventh year Gryffindor. Speaking of Harry, he looked up from his spot in a cushy chair to watch Ginny walk in. She held her head high in the air and went straight up to her dormitory room, walking by Harry so quickly that her breeze caused her to catch a whiff of Harry's cologne. Half of her brain melted, but the other half reminded her of the previous night and the past six years. "Why should you all of the sudden forgive him for the years and years that he completely ignored you, even after all of the loyalty and support that you showed him?" her practical side asked her. She tossed her books on the floor and flopped down on her bed. "Damn men… always trying to make life complicated," she muttered to no one in particular. "Yeah, I know," a voice said from the door. 

            Hermione was at the door smiling at her and holding a bag of cookies that she had snuck up from the kitchens. Ginny sat up and smiled. "You always did know how to cheer me up, Hermione!" she said, making room on her bed for Hermione to sit down. The older girl smiled and said, "Well, the Head Girl likes to keep everyone happy!" 

            Taking one of the soft cookies and breaking it in half, Ginny continued, "…so I said something about not wanting him to be lonely and me spending time with him, but he was like 'Why?' and had his arms crossed. I mean, can't I do something nice for someone without them thinking that I have an ulterior motive?" Hermione snorted and said, "Boys… they're so simple that they're complicated. Take your stupid git of a brother, for instance… the entire time Viktor was here in our fourth year, and the entire time Viktor and I were dating our fifth year, Ron was so moody every time I tried to do something nice just for him. He would call Viktor 'Vicky' and ask me why I wasn't sending him an owl at the moment. It really started to piss me off, until I realized that Ron was jealous… well, until Harry told me that Ron was jealous. My point is… I think that Harry is really quite jealous of Mike." Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Hermione, we have gone over this a million times. Harry Potter is not interested in me, nor will he ever be. It's just something that is going to have to die away with time." Shaking her head, Hermione smiled. If her thoughts were correct, Ginny would be eating her words in about a week.

            "What are they talking about up there?" Harry asked Ron, anxious and fidgety. "How much of a brainless git you are," Ron said, trying to sound serious but breaking into a smile. Harry frowned, but Ron said, "Harry, I'm sure Hermione is just telling Ginny all about how much of a gentleman I am and how sweet I was yesterday." Harry burst into laughter but quickly stopped when he saw Ron's face. "Sorry," he said, suppressing another laugh, "I thought you were joking again!"

            A few days flew by… Ron and Hermione were trying to limit the amount of snogging they did in front of Harry, and Harry was trying to ignore it the best he could. Ginny was a little too busy with her homework to worry about Harry or Mike, and she was often in the library until late at night. "Did you turn her into you?" Ron asked on Friday night, noticing that Ginny was at a table in the common room, reading over her _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6 book. Hermione swatted at Ron, but then smiled, snuggling up to him on the couch where the three were sitting. Harry shifted uncomfortably, wishing Ginny would come over and talk to him. She could yell at him for all he cared; he missed her company and he was tired of being around the two love birds all the time. However, she was involved in her work, and he knew better than to disturb Ginny, whose temper was worse than Ron's; he simply leaned back and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, escaping from Ron kissing Hermione and the thought of Mike kissing Ginny. _

            Ginny studied and wrote until she was the last person in the common room, and then she picked up her books and headed to her bed to try to sleep. Things had been bothering her lately: school, Mike, being mad at Harry, not talking to Harry, how strong her feelings were for Harry after all these years, Harry, Potions, and Harry. Just as she passed the couch and headed up the stairs, she saw someone out of the corner of her eye, and he was asleep on the couch. Realizing immediately who it was, she couldn't help but smile. "The great Harry Potter sleeps too, you know," she thought to herself, setting her books down in a chair. She walked over to him quietly and leaned down to hear him breathe, and with a smile, she pushed the hair out of his face. "Harry?" she whispered softly, still leaning close to him. He didn't budge. He was so easy to get along with while he was asleep! "Okay Harry, if you like Malfoy, just keep quiet," she whispered, trying not to laugh. Once again, he was silent. Giggling, she said, "If you want to marry Professor McGonagall, lay there and sleep." As he remained still, she giggled a little louder. Putting a hand over her mouth, she watched him for a second to see if he was awake. He didn't move, so she said, "If you like Ginny Weasley, raise your hand." He didn't move. "That's what I thought," she said softly and sadly. She reached out and shook him, causing his eyes to open slowly. "Come on Harry, it's time for bed," she said, a small smile on her face, but sadness in her eyes. He looked at her, a little confused, and she mistook it for grogginess. "You fell asleep in the common room. I thought you would like to go on up to bed," Ginny said, watching him start to get up. Looking at her for a second before speaking, he said, "Thanks." 

            Harry paused, thinking about what to do, but Ginny turned and walked to the stairs to her dormitory. Just before she reached them, something came over Harry and he blurted out, "I heard you." She froze. Turning around slowly, she stared at him for a second and then whispered, "What?" Looking into her brown eyes, Harry said, "I heard you… when you thought I was asleep." Her face turned a bright shade of red and her eyes widened. "Oh," she squeaked, whirling around and sprinting up the stairs.

To be continued…


	3. Think About It

Greetings all! It's Finals week now and my first four finals are over, so I finally had a chance to update the fic. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing; I really appreciate it!

BTW, anyone buy the soundtrack to HP:COS yet? It's good! My favorite is "Reunion of Friends."

**Title: It's Never Too Late**

Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione

A/N: I know it sounds like I'm torturing Harry, but honestly, he deserves it!!

**Chapter Three: Think About It**

            It had been three whole days since Harry had talked to Ginny. After hearing that Harry had been awake when she was talking to him, Ginny had ran up to her bed crying. No one else knew about the incident, and Ginny intended to keep it that way. Harry, on the other hand, was following Ginny around, hoping they would "run into each other" and she would be forced to talk to him. However, she would only look at him coldly and get lost in the crowded hallways. Harry was miserable. 

            So involved in their own lives, it took Ron and Hermione three days to notice that Harry and Ginny both were acting strangely. "Hey mate," Ron said to Harry as they walked to Divination alone, "You alright? You've been acting weird today." Harry sighed, disappointed that Ron had just noticed that he was upset. "Honestly? No, I'm not alright," Harry replied, shifting his bag a little to lessen the load. "What is it?" Ron asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway to look at Harry. Harry's anger at him was lost when he saw the look of genuine concern on Ron's face. "Well… it's your sister. She and I had… an argument, you could say," Harry said, not knowing what to say without completely reveling that he fancied Ginny. "My sister?" Ron said, chucking and beginning to walk to the North Tower again. They were silent for a few minutes until Ron abruptly stopped. "Wait a second… do you fancy my sister?!" He asked, his face turning the typical red. "Um…" Harry stammered, "Well, you could say that, I suppose." Ron squinted his eyes, staring at Harry in thought. "Eh," Ron said finally, his face and stance relaxing, "It's fine. You're better than that Mike prat." Harry smiled for the first time in three days as Ron laughed. 

            "So what happened now?" Ron asked after Divination was over. "Well, I don't really know why she is all upset. It seems kind of dodgy to me. I really want to see what Hermione thinks," Harry began, "but a few days ago, I was asleep on the couch in the common room, and she came over to wake me up. She didn't know I was awake and she started joking around with me, and then she said 'If you like Ginny Weasley, raise your hand,' and well, I didn't know what to do, so I just didn't do anything. So then, I acted like I just woke up. And as she's getting ready to go up to her dormitory, stupid me blurts out that I heard what she said. She looked at me all strange, got upset, and ran off! Now she won't talk to me or anything!" Ron's eyes glazed over for a second and then he said, "Yeah, my sister… she's weird sometimes. We'd better ask Hermione."

            After explaining the whole thing to Hermione at lunch, Harry and Ron were surprised at her reaction. "Honestly! Couldn't you two figure it out?" she asked, exasperated. Harry and Ron looked at each other in confusion and then looked back at Hermione. Sighing, she said, "Look, first off, Ginny is upset that you heard what she said. Second, and most importantly, she was basically asking if you liked her, and you didn't respond! How would you feel, Harry?" Harry paused for a second and then said, "But I do like her!" Hermione smiled and chuckled. "You had better tell her… and good luck. You'll probably need it," she said, reaching for another sandwich. Now even more confused, Harry said, "Why's that?" Hermione stopped and looked at him. Then she said, almost angrily, "You don't get it, do you? All those years you pushed her aside, and now you expect her to want to be with you just because you finally noticed her?! I know you're good at magic, Harry, but this is going to take a miracle! You're really going to have to convince her that you are sorry and that you really want to be with her." Harry silently nodded. He didn't know what he was going to do. Hermione shook her head and they all fell silent.

            Upon leaving the Great Hall, ran quickly to the owlry to send Ginny a quick note. 

                                                                        Ginny,

                                                                        Please meet me in the Astronomy tower tonight at 8pm.

                                                                        I really need to talk to you about something. Please don't

                                                                        avoid me. 

                                                                                                            Harry

            Sliding into his chair, Harry had arrived in Charms class just before Professor Flitwick walked in to begin the lesson on Organization Charms. "I sent her a note to meet me in the Astronomy tower at 8. I hope she comes," Harry whispered to Ron before Hermione looked over, motioning for them to be quiet. Ron gave Harry an encouraging look that dissolved to a look of pity when Harry looked away.

            After classes ended, Harry went for a walk on the grounds to contemplate what he was going to say to Ginny. Staring out at the lake, Harry thought of his mum and dad. He wished so badly that he could get some advice from his mum and dad. Sure, he had Sirius, but Sirius was still in hiding and it took weeks to get a letter back from him. He needed help right away, but there was no one he could get it from. "I guess I'll just have to tell her the truth and hope that is enough to convince her," Harry thought to himself, getting up to walk back into the castle. Dinner was in fifteen minutes, but he didn't feel like eating, so he walked back up to the Gryffindor common room to calm down for a little while. 

            Getting a little too relaxed, Harry fell asleep, waking up to Ron's voice in the dormitory. "Hey mate, it's 7:30, shouldn't you get going?" Ron said, seeing that Harry had fallen asleep unintentionally. Feeling nauseous, Harry stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. "Comb that hair!" the mirror said to him, causing him to sigh. "Well, wish me luck, Ron," Harry said, smoothing out his pants. "Everything is going to be fine, Harry," Ron said, clapping him on the back and smiling. Harry managed a weak smile and turned, walking out of the dormitory and into the common room. Ginny wasn't there, thankfully, so he climbed out of the portrait hole and made his way up to the Astronomy tower.

            Ginny was standing at a window when Harry finally arrived. "Make it quick. Mike is waiting on me," she said curtly. Harry swallowed nervously and was wringing his hands as he began to speak. "First off, I want you to know that I am very sorry that I ignored you for the past few years. I know that sorry doesn't make things right, but I hope you can forgive me. Second, I'm really sorry that I didn't say anything to you while you thought I was asleep a few nights ago. I'm sure you were mad at me for that, and I'm sorry for that." Ginny nodded and said, "Forgiven." Taking a step closer to her to build up his courage, Harry said, "And the main reason I brought you up here was to tell you this…" He paused, trying to force the words to come out of his mouth. "I- I like you, Ginny. I really, really like you, and I hope that you would want to be my girlfriend, or at least more than my friend." 

            She stared at him, almost as if he hadn't said anything at all. It was almost two minutes before Harry said, "Ginny?" Her blank stare changed from a look of sadness to a glare. "How dare you? How dare you expect me to dump my boyfriend and go running to you because after seven years you finally noticed me and decided you wanted to me with me?! Should I just drop everything because Famous Harry Potter wants to be my boyfriend?!" Harry hurried over to her and put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "Ginny, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," he said softly. The anger on her face faded away and she began to cry. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear that…" she said, wiping her eyes as tears continued to fall, "and you don't know how bad it hurts me to have to tell you no." 

            It was like getting punched in the stomach. "No?" Harry whispered, looking at her in sadness and shock. "No, Harry. I can't. I won't." Ginny said, wiping her eyes and rushing past him, leaving the tower.

Sorry… cliff hanger. ;)


	4. Cry

FINALS ARE OVER!!! I'm so excited! ;)  Sorry this chapter took so long. I'm suffering from writer's block like JK Rowling.

**Title: It's Never Too Late**

Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione

A/N: Song Fic to a wonderful Faith Hill song.

**Chapter Four: Cry**

            Harry was numb. His green eyes had lost their shine and his face looked pale and yellow. He was a nightmare at Quidditch practice, running into his housemates while searching for the snitch on his new racing broom, The Vortech. He avoided Ginny like the plague, and generally avoided conversations that required him to say more than yes or no. Once again, he was miserable, but even more so than before.

            "Ron, I don't know what to do… it's dreadful! Maybe we could get her to talk to him or something," Hermione whispered one night, a week and two days after Harry and Ginny's encounter in the tower. "I still can't believe she told him no…" Ron said, his voice trailing off. "In a strange way," Hermione sighed, "I admire her." Ron looked over at his girlfriend with a look that said "Have you gone mad?" Hermione smiled, snuggling closer to Ron on the couch in the common room. "I only say that because she has been after him for so many years, and he was always finding excuses to get away. And then, after he and Cho broke up when she graduated, he lied to her and told her that he couldn't go to the Yule Ball with her because Cho would get mad! I mean, honestly! That wasn't very nice. She deserves to make him feel like-"  Hermione said, speaking a word that Ron never thought he would hear come out of her mouth. "Well, I guess you're right in a way," Ron said, glancing over at Harry, who was sitting at a table in the common room trying to do his homework. 

            Rain was beating against the windows as Harry tried to finish an essay for Professor Binns' class, History of Magic. He was practically heartbroken, but he was trying not to show it. Over the past week, he had tried to remain silent about his discussion with Ginny, telling only Hermione when she prodded him. He showed no outward signs of being upset, but Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid could tell that something was obviously bothering him. Harry avoided Ginny, but only to avoid making a scene; he knew that the next time he was alone with her, he was going to explode. 

            Rubbing his eyes in exhaustion, Harry looked up and happened to see Ginny climb in through the portrait hole. He quickly looked back down, trying to avoid her eyes. However, to his horror, she made her way over to the table where he was sitting, and sat her books on the table. "Is this seat taken?" she asked, her voice tight. Not looking up, Harry shook his head and she sat down. They were silent for a few minutes as both Harry and Ginny pretended to be working on their homework. Harry was lost in his thoughts until Ginny cleared her throat, startling him back to reality. "Uh, Harry?" Ginny said, her face going bright red. "Hmm?" Harry replied, not trusting himself to open his mouth. "I… I'm really sorry about last week. I didn't mean to make you upset," she said softly. Continuing to stare at his books, Harry said, "It's fine. It's not a big deal. It was nothing, really." 

            Time seemed to stand still for a second, and then Ginny jumped up and bolted out of the common room. "Ginny!" Harry yelled, jumping up to follow her. Ginny had always been a fast runner, so by the time Harry was out of the common room, Ginny was out of sight. "Ginny, please! Come back here! You shouldn't be wondering around at night!" Harry pleaded. He waited a few seconds for a response, and then climbed back inside the common room to fetch the Marauder's Map. 

            Curious eyes met his as he walked to the seventh year boys' room. "Harry, what's up, mate?" Ron said, dragging Hermione up the stairs in pursuit of Harry. Harry looked up, catching Ron's eye. Seeing the expression on Harry's face, Ron took a step back, giving his friend some space. Harry quickly pulled the aged piece of parchment out of his trunk and muttered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Glancing over the map, Harry whispered, "The pond…" and ran out of the room. "Harry! It's freezing outside! Besides, you shouldn't go out after dark!" Hermione yelled after him. "Then take five points from Gryffindor!" Harry yelled, climbing out of the portrait hole and sprinting to the main entrance. "I should, just for his tone!" Hermione said huffily. "Hermione!" Ron scolded.

            Ginny was soaked, but it didn't really bother her much. Harry said "it was nothing." The whole situation wasn't "a big deal" to him, and she was pissed about it. She was sure that if she saw him, she would slap him. "Ginny?" she heard someone call, just as she pondered the thought of slapping Harry Potter. As soon as she saw him, her insides started to boil. As he opened his mouth to say something, she drew her arm back and punched him right in the face. "I hate you, Harry Potter!" she screamed, pushing him as he held his eye with one hand and his broken glasses in the other. "Why are you so upset?!" Harry said almost harshly, raising his voice. Bursting into tears, Ginny sank down onto a nearby rock.

_A/N:  If you're doing a sing-along, start the song now! __J___

**If I had just one tear running down your cheek,   
Maybe I could cope, maybe I'd get some sleep.  
If I had just one moment at your expense,   
Maybe all my misery would be well spent.**

            Ginny hid her face in her hands, trying to shelter herself from Harry Potter. "I hate you," she said again, this time sadly. He kneeled down, his eye swelling. "Ginny," he whispered, "tell me what's wrong, please. I'm begging you."**  
  
Yeah... Could you cry a little?  
Lie just a little.  
Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain.  
I gave, now I'm wanting  
Something in return.  
So cry just a little for me.  
  
**

**            Breathing erratically, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "After all of the pain I went through, chasing after you, being there for you when people let you down… so then, you decide that you finally share my feelings."  "I do Ginny, I care about you-" Harry began, but stopped when Ginny held up her hand.**

**  
If your love could be caged, honey, I would hold the key,   
And conceal it underneath the pile of lies you handed me.  
And you'd hunt those lies;   
They'd be all you'd ever find.  
And that'd be all you'd have to know,   
For me to be fine.  
  
**

**            "But Harry, am I supposed to forgive you? For all of the pain? For all of those lies that you told me while you were with Cho?" Ginny said, spitting the words from her mouth. Harry's eye was almost completely swollen shut now, but he was oblivious to the pain; he was staring intently at Ginny, memorizing her every word.**

**  
Yeah... And you'd cry a little,   
Die just a little.  
And baby I would feel just a little less pain.  
I gave, now I'm wanting  
Something in return.  
So cry just a little for me.**

**            "I want you to feel what I felt! I want you to hurt! I want you to know how it feels!" Ginny said, screaming at the top of her lungs. Harry's eyes were filling with tears as she yelled at him. "I want you to know what it feels like to be lonely… to be at the bottom of someone's list. And I want to see it! I want to see that it bothers you," Ginny said, her face falling back into her hands. ****  
  
Give it up baby.  
I hear your goodbye.  
Nothing's gonna save me,**

**I can see it in your eyes.  
Some kind of heartache,   
Darlin', give it a try.  
I don't want pity;   
I just want what is mine.  
  
**

**            "You're right. You're so right, Ginny," Harry said, his face growing hot from the tears and emotions threatening to spill over, "I'm so sorry." Ginny's eyes met his and she calmly said, "Don't feel sorry for me. Just make it up to me. Prove to me that you really care about me, and that you're serious about me. And then, I will know that you know how I felt."**

**  
Yeah... Could you cry a little?  
Lie just a little.  
Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain.  
I gave, now I'm wanting  
Something in return.  
So cry just a little for me.  
  
**

**            "I'm going back inside, Harry. You should have your eye looked at by Madame Pomfrey," Ginny said, standing up to walk to the castle. Her hair was plastered to her head and her clothing was soaked. "I'm so sorry Ginny!" Harry called as she walked away.**

**  
Yeah... Cry just a little for me…  
  
Whoa Whoa… Could you cry a little for me**

**            "Then prove it." Ginny said, turning to look at him one last time before walking away.**

            Sitting on the bed in the hospital wing, Harry's heart pounded. "What am I going to do? She hates me!" he thought to himself, wringing his hands as he waited on Madame Pomfrey to return. "Potter, I don't know how this happened, and I'm not even going to ask, because I'm sure I don't want to know, but you're fine. You're just going to have a black eye, but I can fix it," she said, walking back over to him. "No… leave it. I deserved it," he said, hoping down from the bed. "Alright Potter. Come back if you change your mind," Madame Pomfrey said, shooing him out off to Gryffindor Tower.

To be continued… 


	5. Potty and the Little Weasel

Okay, I'm sort of at a road block with this plot… So I'm just going to start writing and hope it works itself out! ;)

Well, after writing a little of it, I've determined that this chapter will have a much lighter plot to it, and very well could be the last chapter of the story (if I get it all sorted out correctly.)

**Title: It's Never Too Late**

Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione

This chapter is dedicated to all of the hard core H/G shippers in the world. JK has to listen!! ;)

**Chapter Five: Potty and the Little Weasel**

            Days passed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the fifth day in a row, Ginny was in her room, reading the letter that Hedwig had delivered to her at lunch.

                                                Dearest Ginny,

                                                I'm so sorry about all of the pain that I've caused you. Every morning I wake up

                                                thinking that maybe today will be the day you decide to talk to me. But, I go

                                                through another long day without hearing your voice. I want you to know that 

                                                it is killing me that I can't talk to you or be around you. I want nothing more than

                                                to hear your laugh or see your smile. I'm so sorry, and I really hope that you can

                                                find it in your heart to forgive me. 

                                                                        Until tomorrow,

                                                                        Harry

            Harry was sitting in Hagrid's cabin, talking to the burly man about women. "Ya can't blame 'er, Harry. Ya kinda deserve this, as much as I hate ter say it ter ya," Hagrid said, refilling Harry's cup of tea. Sighing, Harry said, "And I totally agree with you Hagrid. I can't believe I did the things I did, and now I don't know how to show her that I care about her and that I am serious about her." Hagrid paused for a second and then said, "Well Harry, how about doin' some things for her that she did for you? Unnerstand?" Harry nodded, but didn't really fully grasp the idea until later.

            Ginny, who should have been happy to finally have Harry "kissing her feet" in a sense, was having a terrible time trying to break up with Mike. After attempting to talk to him the previous night, he had caught up with her right outside the Gryffindor common room. "Ginny… I don't understand how things aren't working out! We had such a great time together and I was really starting to fall in love with you!" Mike said, standing in front of her so she couldn't walk away. "Tell him to sod off, dear," The Fat Lady said from behind her.

            Mike looked at her sadly, and Ginny couldn't help but soften her stiff stance. "Look Mike," she sighed, "if you want to know the absolute truth, I will tell you." He nodded sadly and kept his eyes on her. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Well, I have been in love with a certain person for a really long time. He never noticed me until now. At first, I didn't know if I still wanted to be with him, but now, after all of the things he's doing to make it up to me, I have decided that I really **_do want to be with him. I still feel the same way about him. I had to choose between you and him, and I'm sorry, but I chose him." She paused for a second, eyeing Mike closely. His face slowly spread into a smile and he said, "It's Harry Potter isn't it?" Ginny nodded and Mike reached out to hug her. "Ginny, I'm happy for you. Really, I am. I know how much he means to you, and I'm glad that you finally got together," he said, releasing her. He walked off as Ginny stood staring at him. She had felt her jaw drop, but hadn't tried to hide her look of surprise. "I guess telling the truth works sometimes, dear," The Fat Lady said as Ginny climbed back inside the portrait hole. _**

            After her afternoon classes, Ginny spent the rest of the night laying on her bed, finishing up some studying for her first Muggle Studies test of the year. It was only the second month of school, but her teacher, Professor Saxena, always liked to test them early and often. It really didn't matter to Ginny though; she was easily the best student in her year, and Muggle Studies was an easy subject for her, especially with Harry and Hermione as friends.  

            Speaking of Harry, he was busy in the common room. Hermione was helping him charm a card that he had made for Ginny. Ron was sitting in a chair laughing so hard that he was crying as Hermione slammed the card shut. "It's perfect Harry. I think she will love it," Hermione said, swatting at Ron with her left hand. "Oh, go ahead and laugh at me Ron. I deserve it, after all," Harry said, almost smiling. His black eye had almost faded away, even though people were still teasing him for being punched by a girl. 

            Tossing and turning in his bed that night, Harry felt nervous; he was about to embarrass himself in front of the whole school. However, he didn't really care what anyone else thought, because he only cared about Ginny's reaction. "Oh Ginny, please forgive me," he said in his head, curling up to his pillow, "I'm so sorry I hurt you." Ginny was his last thought as he drifted off to a fitful sleep, dreaming that Ginny had laughed at him in front of the whole school, and magically, his clothes disappeared! 

            Ginny pulled the curtains around her bed, whispering, "Good night Harry Potter, wherever you are." She smiled, thinking of his green eyes and dark hair; he was starting to get to her, and she couldn't stay mad at him for much longer. 

            "Good night, Hermione," Ron whispered, pulling his girlfriend close for a kiss. When she didn't kiss back, he realized that he was snuggling with his pillow, and that he had already fallen asleep once, judging by the drool on his other pillow. His face was red with embarrassment, and he was glad that his curtains were closed. Rolling over to go back to sleep, he heard Harry say, "Don't laugh at me Ginny! I'm so sorry!" Smiling and shaking his head, Ron said, "Poor Harry," and closed his eyes.

            Waking up after what seemed to have been three seconds, Harry felt nervous as he walked down to breakfast. Hedwig would deliver the card to Ginny during breakfast in the Great Hall, and Harry was hoping that Ginny would understand what he was trying to get at. Walking down with Ron and Hermione, Harry was very quiet. "It'll be alright, Harry. You'll see," Hermione said, squeezing his shoulder as they entered the Great Hall. "Does it seem like there are more people here than usual?" Harry whispered to Ron, who simply patted his friend's back. Just as Harry was about to sit down, he saw a white owl fly into the Great Hall along with a few others. Hedwig dropped the card right onto Ginny's empty plate, startling her.

            "This doesn't look like his normal letters," she said to her friend, Megan Watters. "Open it!" Megan said, curious to see the contents of the envelope. Ginny's hands were clammy as she slid her fingernail under the flap in the envelope. She pulled the card out of the envelope and studied the picture on the front; she saw a rose drawn in red ink and a broomstick. 

            "Here we go, mate," Ron said as Ginny began to open the card. Harry cringed as the card began to screech out the song he had written for her the previous night. 

_Her hair is as red as the fire._

_Her smile is as bright as the sun._

_It's Ginny Weasley I desire._

_For my heart, she has already won._

            For a second, the Great Hall was silent, but as the card continued to sing the same verse, all of the students burst out laughing.  "Potty and the**_ little Weasel!" Malfoy yelled, leading the laughter at the Slytherin table. All of the Gryffindors were laughing, including Ron, Hermione, and even Ginny. Harry was discouraged by this, fearing that his nightmare was coming true. He looked up to the staff table, seeing Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye, Professor McGonagall trying to hold back laughter, and Snape with an amused look on his face. His heart sank. "Boy, Ginny must have felt terrible," Harry said, a sad look spreading across his face._**

            She had dropped the card, but it lay open on the table, still singing shrilly about Ginny Weasley. Ginny had found this so amusing that she had burst out laughing with the rest of her friends, and continued to laugh until she finally looked over to see the look on Harry's face. "He finally understands," she said to Megan, getting up and walking to the end of the Gryffindor table, where Harry was sitting. He looked up at her, as if he expected her to explode into a tirade. She smiled at this, and walked over to his side of the table.

            With the entire school watching, Ginny kneeled down level with Harry. "It doesn't feel so good, does it?" she whispered in his ear. Harry shook his head and sighed. "It's okay, Harry… I forgive you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. He was so startled by this that it took him at least thirty seconds to realize that Ginny was hugging him. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. "You mean everything to me, Ginny!" he whispered, pulling back to look in her eyes. "I know that now, Harry," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. The crowd had stopped laughing and proceeded to "Awww!" as Ginny leaned down and kissed Harry. Ron frowned and stood up to break the pair apart, but Hermione pulled him back into his seat. "Cool it, Ron. You're going to be seeing a lot of that from now on," she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

That's the end, my friends! I hope you have enjoyed this short fic! I wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year! Hopefully all you Ginny Weasleys out there have found your Harry Potters to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas! ;) 

~JOS


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